Calming Anxiety | Guided Meditation, Sleep Hypnosis & Panic Attack Relief

The Cop and the Anthem by O. Henry — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off with this gentle bedtime story for sleep and insomnia relief, read aloud as part of Calming Anxiety's Books at Bedtime strand. Tonight's tale is The Cop and the Anthem, O. Henry's wry, warm-hearted story of a homeless New Yorker's winter scheme, first published in his 1906 collection The Four Million — long in the public domain, with Porter (1862–1910) having died more than a century ago.

 

For more calming audiobooks and sleep stories whenever you need them, download Anchored, the free companion app to Calming Anxiety, with offline-ready relaxation and Books at Bedtime sessions for any hour of the night.

Get it on the App Store at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 or on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored.

 

In this soothing bedtime audiobook, Soapy tries every trick he knows to get himself arrested and land a warm winter berth on the prison island — from a slap-up dinner he can't pay for to a stolen umbrella — only to find the law has other plans, right up until a church anthem changes his mind entirely. A gentle, unhurried classic with O. Henry's trademark twist, perfect for winding down, easing anxiety, and drifting off to sleep.

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett, as part of Calming Anxiety's Coffee Break for the Soul and Books at Bedtime story readings.

 

And in everything, my friend, be kind.

 

 

Support the Show:

 

Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!

 

YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1

 

Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/

 

Music: All music by Chris Collins

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety-guided-meditation-sleep-hypnosis-panic-attack-relief--4110266/support.

Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.

When Was the Last Time You Felt Happy? — A 10-Minute Meditation for Feeling Flat, Numb or Emotionally Stuck

 

Somebody asked how you were, and you said fine, and you meant it — nothing is wrong. But later, standing at the sink, a harder question arrives on its own: when was the last time you felt properly happy? Not fine, not coping, not relieved something was over. Really happy. If you went looking for the answer and couldn't find it, this guided meditation is for that feeling of being flat, numb or quietly stuck, even when nothing in your life seems to justify it.

 

For a place to return to, including a simple daily check-in, download Anchored, Calming Anxiety's companion app.

Get it on the App Store at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 or on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored.

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett, this episode uses the physiological sigh (a double inhale followed by one long exhale) to work with the body directly, then moves into affirmation work that reframes feeling flat as information rather than a verdict — and gives you permission to want more than simply feeling fine.

 

⏱️ Time Chapters

* 00:00 – "Nothing Is Wrong"

* 01:02 – Welcome & the Daily Check-In

* 01:38 – Breathing: The Physiological Sigh

* 03:51 – A Quiet Word

* 04:22 – What You're Allowed to Feel

* 05:22 – Affirmations for Feeling Flat

* 08:05 – Three Daily Caring Tips

* 09:00 – Coming Back Gently

* 09:38 – A Note From Martin

 

🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations

Settle in and repeat these gently to yourself:

Nothing is wrong with me for feeling flat.

I can't remember the last time I felt happy, but that is information, not a verdict.

I have been coping for a long time, and coping is narrow work.

My capacity to feel really happy was never lost — it was simply crowded out.

I am allowed to want more than simply feeling fine.

I do not have to earn the right to feel better.

Today, I will make a little room for happiness.

 

💡 3 Daily Caring Tips

1. Notice one thing today that was simply not unpleasant — not a joy, not a highlight, just not unpleasant — and let it register for three full seconds.

2. Do one completely ordinary thing more slowly than usual today — a cup of tea, a walk — slowly enough that you're actually inside it while it happens.

3. Say one sentence out loud to one person: "I've been feeling a bit flat lately." Then just stop. No explanation, no apology.

 

📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere

Download Anchored on iOS at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 or on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored. Access over 2,500 searchable, offline-ready audio sessions, sleep stories with Books at Bedtime, and built-in nightlight features for the small hours. If this episode helped, please share it and leave a quick rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it genuinely helps more people find their way here.

 

And in everything, my friend, be kind.

 

 

Support the Show:

 

Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!

 

YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1

 

Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/

 

Music: All music by Chris Collins

 

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety-guided-meditation-sleep-hypnosis-panic-attack-relief--4110266/support.

Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.

A Service of Love by O. Henry — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off with this gentle bedtime story for sleep and insomnia relief, read aloud as part of Calming Anxiety's Books at Bedtime strand. Tonight's tale is A Service of Love, O. Henry's warm, witty short story about two young newlywed artists in New York who each secretly give up their art to support the other — first published in his 1906 collection The Four Million, long in the public domain, with Porter (1862–1910) having died more than a century ago.

 

For more calming audiobooks and sleep stories whenever you need them, download Anchored, the free companion app to Calming Anxiety, with offline-ready relaxation and Books at Bedtime sessions for any hour of the night.

Get it on the App Store at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 or on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored.

 

In this soothing bedtime audiobook, painter Joe and pianist Delia marry for love of each other and their art, and when the money runs short, each quietly takes up hidden work to protect the other's ambitions — a gentle, old-fashioned tale of devotion with O. Henry's signature twist, perfect for winding down, easing anxiety, and drifting off to sleep.

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett, as part of Calming Anxiety's Coffee Break for the Soul and Books at Bedtime story readings.

 

And in everything, my friend, be kind.

 

 

Support the Show:

 

Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!

 

YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1

 

Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/

 

Music: All music by Chris Collins

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety-guided-meditation-sleep-hypnosis-panic-attack-relief--4110266/support.

Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.

Why Does My Mouth Go Dry Before I Have to Speak? — A 10-Minute Meditation for Speech Anxiety and Anticipatory Nerves

 

It happens about 30 seconds before you have to speak. There's nothing there. You try to swallow and the swallow doesn't work either — and now you're not thinking about what you're going to say, you're thinking about whether the first word will come out as a word at all. If your mouth goes dry every time you're nervous, right at the moment you need it most, this guided meditation is your ten minutes.

 

For a place to return to at the moment you actually need it — the ninety seconds before you walk in, not the night before — download Anchored, Calming Anxiety's companion app.

Get it on the App Store at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 or on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored.

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett, this episode uses a slow diaphragmatic (belly) breath — in through the nose for four, out through the nose for six — then works with the fear behind a dry mouth before speaking, reframing it as the body preparing you rather than betraying you.

 

⏱️ Time Chapters

* 00:00 – The 30 Seconds Before You Speak

* 00:49 – Welcome & Anchored

* 01:34 – Breathing (Diaphragmatic, In 4 / Out 6)

* 04:53 – A Quick, Kind Note

* 05:10 – Affirmations for a Dry Mouth

* 08:13 – Three Daily Caring Tips

* 09:04 – Coming Back Gently

* 09:42 – A Note From Martin

 

🌿 Today's Gentle Affirmations

Settle in and repeat these gently to yourself:

I am safe even when my mouth goes dry.

My body is preparing me, not betraying me.

A dry mouth from anxiety is a switch, not a fault.

I breathe through my nose and my mouth softens.

I do not have to sound perfect to be worth listening to.

The first word is the only hard one. After that, I am simply talking.

I am calm before I speak.

I am steady within my own voice.

 

💡 3 Daily Caring Tips

1. Before you speak, let your jaw be loose and take three slow breaths in and out through your nose.

2. Keep your attention on the first sentence, not on what your mouth is doing — you do not need to monitor every sensation.

3. Say your opening sentence out loud, softly, before you ever say it in the room. The first sentence is the only one you need to prepare for.

 

📱 Take Calming Anxiety With You Anywhere

Download Anchored on iOS at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 or on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored. Access over 2,500 searchable, offline-ready audio sessions, sleep stories with Books at Bedtime, and built-in nightlight features for the small hours. If this episode helped, please share it and leave a quick rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it genuinely helps more people find their way here.

 

And in everything, my friend, be kind.

 

 

Support the Show:

 

Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!

 

YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1

 

Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/

 

Music: All music by Chris Collins

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety-guided-meditation-sleep-hypnosis-panic-attack-relief--4110266/support.

Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.

The Tale of Two Bad Mice by Beatrix Potter — A Calming Bedtime Story for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime

 

Drift off with this gentle bedtime story for sleep and insomnia relief, read aloud as part of Calming Anxiety's Books at Bedtime strand. Tonight's tale is The Tale of Two Bad Mice, Beatrix Potter's mischievous story of a doll's house raided by two curious mice, first published by Frederick Warne & Co. in 1904 — long in the public domain, with Potter (1866–1943) having died more than seventy years ago.

 

For more calming audiobooks and sleep stories whenever you need them, download Anchored, the free companion app to Calming Anxiety, with offline-ready relaxation and Books at Bedtime sessions for any hour of the night.

Get it on the App Store at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 or on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored.

 

In this soothing bedtime audiobook, mice Tom Thumb and Hunca Munca sneak into a beautiful doll's house while its owners are out, only to discover the tempting dinner laid out on the table is nothing but painted plaster. A gentle, unhurried classic, perfect for winding down, easing anxiety, and drifting off to sleep.

 

Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett, as part of Calming Anxiety's Coffee Break for the Soul and Books at Bedtime story readings.

 

And in everything, my friend, be kind.

 

 

Support the Show:

 

Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!

 

YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1

 

Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/

 

Music: All music by Chris Collins

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety-guided-meditation-sleep-hypnosis-panic-attack-relief--4110266/support.

Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.